News

Child Care Aware of Kansas has recognized the Ellis County Child Care Task Force as a Child Care Community Champion. This award honors the Task Force’s “outstanding dedication and commitment to strengthening local child care systems.” This recognition is a part of the Child Care Friendly Communities initiative, a statewide program that uplifts community-led efforts to make child care accessible, sustainable, and supportive for Kansas families and providers. Read more: Hays Daily News

Governor Laura Kelly signed House Bill (HB) 2433 into law on Friday March 20, 2026. Following passage by both the Kansas House and Senate, HB2433 (sponsored by Kansas Representative Barbara Wasinger), the bill was presented to the Governor on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. State control of the water appropriation/transfer process is now spelled out in detail, placing authority over water transfers and appropriations with the State’s Chief Engineer and the Water Transfer Hearing Panel, except for domestic use. This means counties may not impose their own restrictions, fees or license/permitting/zoning requirements for water transfers. The newly enacted law applies both retroactively [...]

As Johnson County residents face higher property taxes, a Shawnee man has created a website to help them appeal their property’s valuation. Even as most local governments have kept a flat mill levy for this year, many homeowners still face an increase in their property tax bills, reflective of the ever-rising home values across nearly all of Johnson County. That’s why Shawnee resident Ben Jacobi wanted to figure out a way to provide residents of Johnson and Wyandotte counties some relief. “I see the conversations dominating these neighborhood groups that I’m in on Facebook. People are very emotional, they’re very upset. [...]

Designs revealed for a new bike-centric park in Shawnee show a new area aimed at attracting cyclists of all ages. At the Shawnee Council Committee meeting on Monday, the design firm Vireo presented its master plan for the 170-acre Rail Creek Park, a proposed park in the city. Plans for the park include bike pump tracks, a bike playground, a kids playground, restroom building and shade structure. It would also give the Donderdag! Youth Cyclocross program a new place to ride with more space. Read more: Johnson County Post

A new Kansas law banning cell phones and other electronic devices in schools is expected to cost local districts significant money and staff time because of a requirement that the devices be securely stored in a place inaccessible to students, say officials at some Johnson County school districts. Most local schools’ policies currently in effect allow students to keep devices in backpacks or lockers, as long as they don’t use them during class time. That makes the costs and management of the new storage requirement the biggest question mark about the new law, district officials said. Read more: Johnson County Post

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Michael Bennet have introduced the bipartisan Rural Hospital Revitalization Act to strengthen rural hospitals across the country. The legislation would provide zero-interest loans through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Direct Loan Program, supporting new construction and renovations of existing hospital facilities to improve access to essential health care services. To qualify, hospitals must be in counties with fewer than 20,000 residents, located at least 35 miles from the nearest hospital (or 15 miles in mountainous or limited-access areas), or be designated as a Critical Access Hospital or Rural Emergency Hospital. Applicants must also demonstrate [...]

It’s hard for Cara Cain to decide what she will miss most. She’s the manager at Grand Avenue Market, a local nonprofit grocery store opened in 2021 that is set to close this month. Maybe it will be the customers and interacting with locals as they stop by. Or maybe her coworkers she has grown close to. Later, she mentions the special produce she has ordered for customers, like cactus, and thinks she will miss having access to the grocery store herself. “Unfortunately, there was just no other options right now. we’re really hoping a miracle happens because it’s been really [...]

Sedgwick County Emergency Communications announced the launch of its new fire response system on Wednesday. The Fire Dispatch Priority System tells dispatchers what questions to ask to gather critical information quickly. It also helps them provide important guidance to callers, such as how to safely exit a building. “This enhancement builds upon an already strong and effective system,” Director Elora Forshee said in a news release. “Our goal is to continue refining and strengthening service delivery while maintaining the high level of service our community and public safety partners expect.” Read more: KSN-TV

Efforts are underway to fill more than 4,000 vacant lots in Kansas City, Kansas, with a focus on the northeast area of the city. The initiative aims to turn empty spaces into attainable homeownership opportunities while decreasing the property tax burden on residents. New homes take shape as long-awaited plan to transform 4,000 vacant KCK lots comes to fruition. Michael Sutton, the Unified Government redevelopment coordinator and co-land bank manager, said the majority of the land bank properties are in the northeast, east of Interstate 635, north of Parallel Parkway and west of the river. Read more: KSHB News

Leavenworth County is the latest Kansas City-area community that could be seeing a data center come online. During a nearly six-hour work session at the March 18 Leavenworth County Commissioner meeting, commissioners heard from Kansas state employees and developer Cloverleaf about a proposed hyperscale data center. While no official filings have been made with the county regarding data center development, Leavenworth County Commissioner Mike Stieben told KSHB 41 News the proposal is "well beyond its preliminary phases." The project would be located on nearly 1,000 acres of land on Tailgate Ranch, just south of Tonganoxie. While specific details about Project Bluestem [...]